Chapter 181 : Behind The Scenes
Riku took the letter and opened it.
The contents of the letter left him speechless.
Asuma glanced over his shoulder and frowned. "Looks like someone’s trying to stir up trouble. Our mission is to protect Gaara."
Since Konohagakure and Sunagakure were now allied, they had received intel that someone was targeting Gaara. As the Hokage, Tsunade had naturally ordered Riku to support the Sand Village.
Might Guy looked at Riku and asked, "What should we do? Lee and the others are still taking their exams in the desert, and with a sandstorm this big, it’s going to be nearly impossible to get through."
Riku thought for a moment. "Let’s go. I have a solution."
Although none of them knew what Riku had in mind, they trusted him and followed him into the Devil’s Desert.
The area surrounding Sunagakure was already harsh, and the Devil’s Desert was one of the most treacherous places in the region.
For ordinary people, survival here was next to impossible. But for ninja, it served as a formidable testing ground.
As they entered the storm-blasted desert, a violent sandstorm raged ahead, blotting out the sun and sky.
Suddenly, a lightning-infused chakra shield erupted from Riku’s body.
The shield expanded to envelop Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai, forming a glowing barrier of crackling energy.
The sandstorm surged over them, but no matter how fierce the wind or how dense the sand, nothing could break through Riku’s lightning shield.
Guy stared in astonishment. "This shield... it’s incredible. It’s actually holding off the sandstorm!"
The winds of the Devil’s Desert were notoriously violent, and the sand carried within them could shred flesh if one wasn’t careful. To block both the wind and the microscopic sand particles, one needed an extremely dense chakra barrier.
None of them had expected Riku’s lightning shield to be so effective.
It was also the first time they had seen him use this technique.
Riku expanded his sensory perception. The sandstorm stretched over ten kilometers, but fortunately, it was all within his detection range.
Once he pinpointed the origin of the storm, Riku said calmly, "Let’s move."
The others stopped marveling at the shield and prepared for combat.
Moving through a sandstorm of this scale would normally be near impossible.
But with Riku’s presence, the team advanced through the storm effortlessly.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the desert, a cloaked ninja narrowed his eyes.
"I didn’t expect Konoha to intervene. That guy’s with them too... But you’re still too late to stop me."
At that moment, Riku sensed Gaara’s chakra signature charging into the Devil’s Desert.
Riku frowned. "What the hell is Gaara doing?"
Their original plan had been to rescue Rock Lee and the others before heading out to protect Gaara. But now Gaara had rushed into the desert himself.
"What is it?" Asuma asked, seeing Riku’s expression darken.
Riku thought for a moment before answering. "It’s fine. We’ll just kill two birds with one stone—protect Gaara and rescue Hinata and the others at the same time."
Asuma and Kurenai exchanged a look. "Wait, you mean Gaara’s already here?"
Riku nodded.
Asuma’s brow furrowed. "What’s he thinking? Doesn’t he know there are people trying to kill him?"
Given that Tsunade had already received intel about the assassination plot, she would’ve surely informed Sunagakure. For Gaara to show up here—completely exposed—was reckless.
Riku also looked grim. "Maybe someone important to him is here. I heard one of his disciples is among the examinees. He probably didn’t want her to be in danger."
That silenced the others.
After all, each of them had students among the group as well. They understood the feeling.
The four of them reached Gaara’s position in no time.
By then, Gaara was already having his chakra forcibly extracted by a rogue monk-nin.
Even Fū, the Seven Tails’ jinchūriki, was caught up in the chaos.
Neji, Tenten, Lee, and two ninja from Takigakure were launching a coordinated assault against the monk, trying to disrupt the extraction process.
Riku stood at a distance, watching quietly.
For a moment, he didn’t move.
"Let’s observe first."
"This is also a test for them."
Riku dissipated his lightning shield. They were now just at the edge of the sandstorm’s range.
The four of them crouched behind a massive boulder over a hundred meters away, watching the battle unfold.
"Their opponent isn’t that strong," Riku muttered. "Looks like Sunagakure’s going to need a purge."
A number of Sunagakure’s own shinobi had taken part in this assassination attempt.
Many were unhappy with the council’s decision to appoint Gaara as the Fifth Kazekage.
After all, he was only fourteen years old. Why should someone so young hold such authority?
Even though he was the son of the Fourth Kazekage and a jinchūriki, many found it laughable that a child could lead the village.
As a result, several high-ranking shinobi had defected or quietly joined the opposition.
But none of that concerned Riku. His mission was to protect Gaara—not to clean up the political infighting of Sunagakure.
Besides, it was doubtful the Sand Council would even want Konoha getting involved in their internal disputes.
Watching Neji, Tenten, and Lee coordinate attacks against the monk while dodging the massive tail chakra nets flung out by Fū, Riku chuckled. "Interesting. That guy can still fend off Lee’s attacks while extracting a tailed beast?"
The monk was clearly a high-level jōnin. There weren’t many in Sunagakure who could hold their own like this.
Riku hadn’t expected someone of his caliber to participate in an assassination plot.
Behind Neji and Tenten, Fū had created a chakra net using the Seven Tails’ power, trying to accelerate the extraction process.
Guy looked concerned. "Are you sure we should be standing back? Gaara’s chakra is being drained as we speak."
Riku smiled. "They can handle it. I want to see who’s really behind this."
Guy frowned, thinking Riku was being a little too calm.
Asuma chimed in, "This sandstorm wasn’t created by that monk alone. It’s a group technique—a barrier of some kind. Whoever’s behind this has serious resources if they can mobilize so many people to support him."
Though worried for his students, Asuma trusted that Riku wouldn’t be this composed if he didn’t believe they’d make it.
The battle lasted nearly ten minutes.
Eventually, Neji and the others overwhelmed the monk-nin.
Neji didn’t kill him—instead, he used chakra point strikes to immobilize the man and force a confession.
Riku, Asuma, Guy, and Kurenai finally approached.
Riku was just as eager to learn who the mastermind was.
Gaara smiled slightly upon seeing Riku. "I didn’t expect you to show up. You could’ve arrived sooner, you know."
Riku didn’t respond. He turned to Neji. "Well? Did he talk?"
Using a precise and complex sequence of acupuncture strikes, Neji forced the monk to speak.
"Fuyi," the monk gasped. "It was Fuyi..."
Gaara frowned. "Fuyi? Who the hell is that?"
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